“Art is a reflection of the times and diversity is at the core of today’s world,” says guitarist, sitarist and percussionist Rez Abbasi about the various musical influences that he brings on his début album, Bazaar. “For instance, I was born in Pakistan but moved to California at four. I’ve seriously studied Western classical, jazz and Indian music but also grew up playing in rock bands. I’ve also lived in New York for the last 15 years, and so my music comes from the way in which each of these strands influence one another.”
As someone who grew up in the States in an immigrant household, Abbasi translates this diverse heritage by meshing various influences into his music, which include his native Pakistani flavor but are also well grounded in the American jazz tradition. The music is colorful and surprising. For instance, a tabla introduces the title track, which is dominated by the improvisations of saxophonists Marc Mommaas and Rudresh Mahanthappa while Abbasi stays in the background with his sitar. Gary Versace’s Hammond organ dominates “Life Goes,” and the Indian vocals of Kiran Ahluwalia are also present throughout the album (most notably in “Thin Elephant,” where the acoustic guitar and the voice cleverly interact). But Abassi doesn’t take the music into Bollywood territory, opting instead to keep its sound and feel within a jazz format.
“Incorporating Indian vocals within a jazz context came naturally,” Abbasi explains. “First of all, Indian music deals heavily with the idea of improvisation, as does jazz. Secondly, I’ve toured extensively with Indo/Canadian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia’s group among others, and so that sound has become part of my compositional palette. Kiran has also spent a lot of time with my tunes and this enables us to integrate the music as we see fit.”
The ultimate result of this eclectic mix is that Abbasi’s able to attract audiences of various cultural backgrounds and musical tastes who absorb the music in an intensely personal manner, listening beyond cultural or sonoric barriers.
“Other than the expected musicians and jazz fans that come to my concerts, I’m finding more general music lovers,” he explains. “The people who enjoy my concerts the most are those open to a different experience. Although, I will get the occasional self proclaimed jazz purist who comes up to me after to say how much they appreciated the experience. And then there’s Mexico, where we just performed, and it seemed like everyone was awestruck with the music—jazz fan or not.”
Nov. 28. Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27 St. (betw. Lexington & Park Aves.), 212-576-2232; 7:30 & 9:30, $20.
